Electric alarm-clock.



F. eoss. ELECTRIC ALARM GLOGK. APPLICATION FILED DEG. 6, 1912.

1,085,412, Patented an. 27, 1914.

coumau PMNDGRAPH CO.,WASH1NGTDN, D. c.

FREDERICK GOSS, 0F MILLICENT, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA.

ELECTRIC ALARM-CLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 27, 1914.

Application filed December 5, 1912. Serial No. 735,128.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, F REDERIOK Gross, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, &c., residing at Millicent, in the State of South Australia, Commonwealth of Australia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Electric Alarm-Clocks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to electric alarm clocks for annunciators of the class having attachments for sounding one or more alarms at a series of predetermined times, at the clock or at a distance or both ways.

In these program clocks (as they are also called) the electrical fittings should be simple, cheap, reliable, and allow of easy repair and detachment of either the clock or the fittings at will.

In my invention I avoid the introduction of much wiring, such being found objectionable in practice, and I use no extra rear dial or extra clock hands. Nor do I interfere with the ordinary clock work. I attach contact devices or brushes to the hands and keep the latter in electrical connection with one another in some known manner. I provide a casing or framing part of which comes in front of the clock and I fit this front part with adjustable contact plates set in a circle, and with plug receiving holes or sockets also set in a circle. The outward pressure or touch of the clock hands, or of attachments thereto, is made to cause contacts at predetermined times with the said plates and plugs, and thus complete electric circuits at the said times, and cause ringing of one or more bells provided in those circuits. The use of both clock hands is required to produce a bell-ring; and the minute hand has the additional duty of regulating the length of each ring.

The invention comprises additional features of construction, the whole being next described by the aid of the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of parts of a clock having my devices, parts of the front casing being broken away to exhibit attachments on the hands. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation showing some parts of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating electric circuits, one circuit being shown by cont nuous lines, and another partly by continuous and partly by dotted lines. Figs. 4 to 7 show details; Fig. 1 illustrates part of the interior of the lid or front with adjustable contact surfaces by which to con trol the duration of ringing. Fig. 5 is a modification of Fig. 4 substituting fixed for adjustable contact surfaces. Fig. 6 illustrates a spring plug; and Fig. 7 shows partly in section an insulated spring plug in a contact plate.

Lid 1 in front of clock 2 is centrally open or transparent at 3, to allow the clock dial 4 to be seen. On the lid is an outside member or ring 5 which is perforated with holes set in, for example, two circles. Into these holes-marked (3 or 7, one or more plugs 8 may be inserted from without so that the plug ends project inside to make contacts at required times within the interior 9 of the lid. The plugs are provided each with a spring tongue 10 as in Figs. (3 and 7, and a collar 11, or are otherwise suitable; and the collar 11 of a modified plug 8 is in Fig. 7 under a flanged disk or washer 12 of insulation material fixed on the stem of the plug whereby the collar is insulated from ring 5. When ring 5 is of metal as in Figs. 2 and 7, these insulated plugs are useful. Ring 5 is insulated from lid 1 which may be of wood. The springy tongue 10 makes the plug hold tightly in whichever hole (6 or 7) it is placed, causing it to resist the out-ward pressure of the contact brush or member 13 or 14. I provide the latter upon an. extension 15 of the hour hand 16, which hand is in electrical connection with the minute hand 17 The minute hand carries an extension 18, having a brush or contact wheel 19, which travels in contact, in part, with insulation over an an nulus 20 of insulating material covering a metal ring 20 and in part with exposed adjustable conducting and non-conducting parts respectively on disks set in the annulus 20 and attached to ring 20 which is disposed in an annular recess on the inside of the lid 1. Or I use a modified ring 21 inside the lid 1,see Fig. 5. The wheel 19 or the like as it travels touches non-conducting surfaces, and (alternating therewith) surfaces which are conductors. Thus set flush in circular recesses in insulation covered ring 20 are the disks of metal 22 of which disks the conducting surfaces are as at 23, 24, and 25, of dilterent widths as in Fig. 41-, the rest of the disks being covered with a non-conductor as indicated in black. Each disk 22 is fitted with a shank connected to an adjustable external pointer 27, various positions of the latter being marked at 27, 27*, or 27, in Fig. 1.

A series of external markings as O, S, M, L, in the path of each pointer indicates the respective positions of internal surfaces 23, 24, 25, and also of a non-conducting part 32 of each disk 22, which is so adjustable that the wheel 19 can be caused to travel over part 32 and thus be prevented from causing a bell to ring. The marks OSM-L- 011 the lid to which the pointer may be set may mean respectively no ring short ring medium ring long ring. The pointers are specially located so that as externally viewed they will point uniformly in the same direction to mean any one thing; for example, all point upward to mean a short ring. To give this ring the various in ternal conducting disk surfaces 23 would extend in different directions, that is radially, in the case illustrated. In Fig. 5 the fixed conducting surfaces 26 may be of any predetermined width or widths.

It is an advantage if the construction enables one to cheaply produce a ring of regir lated length at any particular time to with in any two minutes or ottener; my clock will do so, but to avoid confusion, in the drawings I represent in Fig. 1 holes 6, 7 at such distances apart as to enable a ring to be given at any ten minute interval. Opposite these holes, or some of them, there appear external numbers some of which are shown in Fig. 1 to enable the proper holes for particular times to be easily seen and plugged. Any plug end projecting through a hole 6 will in time be met by brush 13, and any plug end projecting through a hole 7 will be met by brush 1 1, that is each brush path corresponds to a distinct circle of holes. The ring is shown with 12 disks or contact plates because a 12 hour dial. is illustrated, but the number of hours on the dial may be different and the number of plates correspond. Each plate 22 is through its spindle in electrical connection with the in sulation covered metal ring 20 or the like, and from the latter one wire 16 Figs. 2 and 8 suflices for the circuits to be estab lished. Insulation is partly shown in Fig. 1 and wholly in Fig. 5 by dense black, and so long as wheel 19 is on such insulation no bell will ring. The spindle of plate 22 projects outside the lid (beyond the pointer it carries) as at 33 for convenience of manipulation, and to allow any suitable tag to be hung on, as to show the purpose of the alarmbut I do not claim tagging to be broadly new.

A switch 39 which is provided prevents all ringing at will and is an especial convenience with a 12 hour dial because ringing will usually be wanted only in some limited part of the day. However temporary disconnections are practicable in additional ways, as it will sutlice to open door 1 so that brushes 13, 14 and wheel 19 cannot make contacts; or the pointers 27 can be adjusted as already explained, or the plugs in plates can be withdrawn. To merely ring the local bell of the clock, it is sullicient to insert a cordless metal plug in Fig. 6 in some time hole 6 or 7.

The appropriate circuit will from time to time become established (in the case of the use of wire 10 as in Fig. 2) according to this example :--plug 8" Fig. 2 (also Fig. 3),wire 10, plug 8, socket plate 85,wire 37, extension bell 3, wire 4 8, extension battery D, wire a switch 39 (when not cut oil), wire -16, ring 20, contact disk 22, wheel 1S), extension 18, minute hand 17, hour hand 16, and by extension 15 and brush 13 or 14. back to plug 8. If distance bells as No. 2 and No. 3 in Fig. 3 are to ring, at for example the same time, as well as local bell 38 at some other time, then the circuit would go as above and through wire 12, through one of the time plugs (as 8). The plug in plate 5 must be insertedin block 35 after inserting plug 8 and must be reunited first when disconnecting, otherwise bells will inadvertently be made to ring as the plug is being withdrawn from plate 5.

I may find it desirable to use (as illustrated in Fig. a separate battery tor local bell 38, from that used for the distance bells. The local bell is connected in circuit by inserting a plug made as in Fig. (i with no insulation and no cord. The local circuit (see Figs. 2 and 3) runs thus :plate 5 with therein a plug as in Fig. (3 brush 13 or 14, extension 15, hour hand 16, minute hand 17, extension 18, roller 19, ring 20, disk 22, wire 46, switch 39, wires 15 and 45, bell 38, wire 13, local battery B and back by wire 5 to ring 5.

The invention may be variously carried into eifect to suit those who wish to dispense wit-h the extension bell mechanism, or those who wish to dispense with the parts that cause ringing of a local bell.

Having described this invention, what is claimed by Letters Patent is 1. In combination with a clock, and an electric alarm circuit adapted to be closed through the hands of the clock, means for controlling closing of the circuit including a disk for determining the duration of alarm of each predetermined time, said disk being provided with contact plates of different widths.

2. In combination with a clock, of a plurality of bus-bars forming the terminals of an electric circuit adapted, to be closed through the hands of the clock, alarm means in the circuit, cooperable means associated with said bus-bars for controlling closing of the circuit, one of said means comprising a plurality of disks of insulation material provided with contact plates of different Widths adapted to vary the duration of alarm.

3. The combination with a. clock, and a casing therefor having a hinged cover, of a plurality of bus-bars forming the terminals of an electric circuit mounted on the cover, alarm means in the circuit, means carried by the hands of the clock and adapted to close the circuit through said bus-bars, means associated with one of said bus-bars for controlling closing of the circuit, and means associated with the other of said bus-bars for cooperating to control closing of the circuit and for controlling the duration of the closing thereof, said last-mentioned means comprising a plurality of disks arranged in the path of said circuit closing means, each of said disks comprising a body portion of insulation material, and a plurality of contact plates of different widths set in said body portion, said disks adapted to be revolved to successively present one of said plates to the circuit closing-means.

4.- The combination with a clock, and a casing therefor having a hinged cover, of an electric circuit a plurality of bus-bars forming the terminals of said electric circuit mounted in the cover, alarm means in the circuit, means carried by the hands of the clock and adapted to close the circuit through said bus-bars, means associated with one of said bus-bars for controlling closing of the circuit, and means associated with the other of said bus-bars for cooperating to control closing of the circuit and for controlling the duration of closing thereof, said last-mentioned means comprising an annulus of insulating .material facing the bus-bar, a plurality of disks mounted to revolve in said annulus, each of said disks comprising a body portion of insulation material, and a plurality of contact plates of different widths set radially in said body portion, stems on said disks projecting through the front wall of the casing cover and terminating in heads whereby the disks may be revolved to present one of said plates to the circuit closing means, and means on said stems for indicating the position of the contact plates.

The combination with a clock, and a casing therefor having a hinged cover, of a pair of bus-bars arranged on the cover and forming the terminals of an electric alarm circuit, one of said bus-bars having a plurality of concentric series of apertures therein, circuit-closing means comprising an arm carried by each hand of the clock, a pair of brushes carried by one of said arms, and a Contact roller carried by the other of said arms, plugs adapted to be fitted in the apertures in said bus-bar and project into the path of said brushes, and revoluble disks of insulation material provided with contact plates of different widths electrically associated with the other of said bus-bars and adapted to be traversed by said roller.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK GOSS. lVitnesses:

CAV HUMIHRIS, ERIC LATIMER MAJOR.

Coplel of this patent may be obtained (or five cents each, by addrelsing the Oommluioner of Patents, walhlng'ton, D. 0. 

